There is a Santa Claus
by NickFan0402
Summary: Here's a new "The Little Freaks" fanfiction I wrote just in time for the holiday season. This is my second Christmas story based on the one-time cartoon short. I hope you all enjoy it! All characters belong to Nickelodeon. Lilibeth belongs to me.


It was Christmas Eve in Center City. Everyone in town was getting ready for Santa Claus to visit their houses very soon. When night fell, most of the people went to sleep for the night waiting for the big man in red to stop by. However, in the house of the Little Freaks, they were all awake. The unofficial leader of the group, Braingel, the second-in-line and Braingel's long-time girlfriend, Tryla, the family friend, Dubs, and the 5-year-old daughter of Braingel and Tryla, Lilibeth, were all still awake. But they were all awake for a reason. To get ready for Santa to visit their house once they were asleep.

"Here are the cookies and milk," said Tryla, setting a plate of decorated sugar cookies and a glass of white milk on the kitchen table.

"Ooooo…" said Lilibeth, looking at the cookies. "The cookies look so pretty! And so yummy…"

"Thank you, honey," said Tryla. "But please, don't eat them."

"Cause they are for Santa Claus, right?" said Lilibeth.

"That's right, Lilibeth," said Tryla. "But don't worry, we still have plenty of sugar cookies left in the kitchen. But we'll have them tomorrow since it'll be Christmas Day. Okay?"

"Okay mommy," said Lilibeth.

"Good girl," said Tryla. "Now why don't you get yourself ready for bed? Santa's coming to town!"

"Yes mommy," said Lilibeth, going into her bedroom to get into her pajamas.

Just then, Braingel came into the house after setting a bucket of water, some carrots, and oatmeal flakes on the roof of the apartment complex that their small house was standing on.

"Alright Freaks," said Braingel. "Everything for the reindeer is all set on the rooftop."

"Oh good, you're back," said Tryla. "It's freezing out there!"

"How many carrots did you set down for Santa's reindeer?" asked Dubs.

"Nine," said Braingel.

"Nine?" said Dubs. "Is that enough for them?"

"Yes," said Braingel. "Each reindeer gets one carrot. There's Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Vixen, Comet, Cupid, Donner, and Blitzen. Oh, and Rudolph, too."

"Great," said Dubs. "Anyways, we going to bed yet?"

"Not yet," said Tryla. "Braingel and I still have to read "The Night Before Christmas" to Lilibeth."

"Can't we read her a different Christmas story this year, Tryla?" asked Braingel, not interested. "We always read that one to our daughter every single year."

"Ummm…" said Tryla. "I guess we could. But what story could we read to her?"

"I have no clue…" said Braingel. "Let's think about it."

Braingel and Tryla began to think about what Christmas-related story they can read to their little child. And of course, since Braingel was thinking way too hard, his brain that was outside his head protected by glass went dead.

"I wanna be a dentist!" said Braingel.

"Haven't you learned anything from thinking too hard?!" said Tryla, annoyed. "Ugh!"

"Duuh dude!" said Dubs, looking straight at Braingel.

A few seconds later, Braingel's brain came back alive as he had an idea.

"Aha!" said Braingel, as his brain lit up.

"You have a story we could tell Lilibeth before bedtime?" said Lilibeth.

"Sure do!" said Braingel, then pausing and saying, "But it's a little bit…Different."

"What do you mean?" said Tryla.

"Yeah Braingel," said Dubs. "What are you thinking about?"

"It won't be inside a book," said Braingel. "It'll all be in my mind."

"Like a made-up story?" asked Tryla.

"Exactly," said Braingel. "Wouldn't that be interesting that reading the same ol' boring stories?"

"Now that I'm thinking about it," said Tryla. "Yes, it would be interesting. Alright Braingel sweetie. Let's tell her a new story."

"Great!" said Braingel, all cheerful. "Let's do it!"

"Okay mommy," said Lilibeth, coming back into the kitchen. "I'm in my pajamas and brushed my teeth."

"And you have Mr. Bunny to sleep with you?" asked Tryla.

"Yes," said Lilibeth, holding onto her stuffed rabbit plush toy.

"Good girl," said Tryla. "By the way, instead of reading you the same Christmas book like every year, your father and I are going to do something different this year."

"Oh?" said Lilibeth, wanting to know. "What is it?"

"I'm going to tell you a story that I will make up," said Braingel.

He then thinks for a moment.

"Actually…On second thought…" said Braingel. "The story isn't made-up. It's real."

"So the story you're going to tell us is a true story?" asked Dubs.

"That's right, Dubs," said Braingel. "It's entirely nonfiction."

"Oooooh," said Dubs, getting interested. "Let's go into the living room and hear it!"

"Yeah!" said Lilibeth. "Tell us your story, daddy!"

The four went into the living room.

"But first," said Braingel, turning off the lights.

"Hey!" said Tryla.

"Who turned out the lights?!" said Lilibeth.

"I can't see anything!" said Dubs.

"Ta daaaa!" said Braingel, plugging in the Christmas tree's lights as they all lit up.

"Oooooooo…" everyone said in amazement.

"Pretty lights…" said Lilibeth.

"I thought I'd tell the story with the tree shining bright," said Braingel.

"Great idea, sweetie," said Tryla. "You made the room pretty."

"You're even prettier," said Braingel, with a smile.

Tryla smiles back and giggles as the two kiss each other.

"Alright…" said Braingel, sitting on the couch. "Come sit with me, honey…"

"Sure baby," said Tryla, sitting next to her love.

"And Lilibeth," Braingel said to his child. "Come sit on my lap while I tell you the story."

"Okay daddy," said Lilibeth, climbing onto the couch as Braingel sits her down onto his lap.

"You guys ready to hear the story?" asked Braingel.

"Yes Braingel," said Dubs, sitting on the matching chair next to the couch. "We're ready."

"Start!" said Lilibeth, giving him a cue.

"Alright sweetheart, alright," said Braingel, with a chuckle. "Let's start from the beginning…"

He clears his throat and said, "It all started when I was a little boy. Older than Lilibeth by a few years. It was a few days before Christmas…"

A flashback begins to show as the Freak told his family and friend the story.

Many years ago, in Center City, during the month of December and very close to Christmas, Braingel, who was not yet a preteen, but was getting close to that point in his life, was at his old house at the time where he lived with his mother and father. The little boy was in his bedroom lying down on his bed thinking about something.

"I just saw Santa at the mall today," the young Braingel said to himself. "I told him everything I wanted for Christmas this year. But…I saw Santa the other day at another mall. So…which Santa is the actual Santa Claus? Or…Is the real Santa somewhere else…?"

He paused and said, "I believe in him…I want to prove who the real Santa is. But where could he be? Oh right, he lives in the North Pole!"

He paused again and then said, "I wish I can go to the North Pole to see him. But how…? I don't have any money for transportation…Think Braingel think!"

Young Braingel was thinking real hard. He then gasped as he came with a solution to the problem.

"I got it!" said Young Braingel, standing up on his bed. "I'll mail myself to him! I can prepare a nicely decorated cardboard box so I can be inside it and be shipped to the North Pole! Yes, that's what I'll do!"

He gets off his bed and onto his floor.

"But where can I get a cardboard box?" Young Braingel asked himself. "Oh, I know!"

The young boy went to his parents, who were in the living room together. His dad was reading the local newspaper on the chair, while his mother was sewing into a hole of a sweater.

"Mom? Dad?" Young Braingel said to his parents.

"Why hello Braingel," said Braingel's father. "What brings you here, son?"

"I was wondering if you have a cardboard box lying around the house somewhere," said Young Braingel.

"Oh?" said Braingel's mother. "And what does a little boy need a cardboard box for?"

Young Braingel froze. He didn't want to tell his parents about his plan to get mailed to the North Pole, in fearing that his parents won't allow him to do so. Also, he was very desperate to meet Santa. So he tried to think up a lie to keep his plan a secret.

"Uhhh…" said Young Braingel, as he told his lie. "I need one…I need one for a fort I would like to make for my bedroom to play in when I'm bored."

"What a very good idea, son," said Braingel's father. "It would be nice for you."

"You deserve to have your privacy," said Braingel's mother. "Especially when you're feeling down and don't want to be bothered."

"Really?!" said Young Braingel, all excited. "Wow! Thanks mom and dad!"

"The box is right in the closet near the front door," said Braingel's mother.

"Thank you, mom," said Young Braingel.

Young Braingel goes to the front closet, opens it, and sees not one, but two cardboard boxes.

"One for my fort, and one for Santa's present," said Young Braingel.

He takes the two boxes out of the closet, brings them to his bedroom, sets one aside for the fort later, and puts the other box together.

"Now let's see if I can fit in this box before I even think about decorating it," Young Braingel said to himself.

He gently steps into the box and squeezes himself up to test the amount of room that was in the cardboard box. It was just the right size for him!

"Oh my gosh!" said Braingel, relieved. "I can fit in here! It's big enough for me! Yes!"

He climbs out of the box. He then gets some Christmas-themed wrapping paper, scissors, tape, and a big ribbon as he gets to work.

Almost a half an hour later, the box was finished.

"Well, what do you know?" Young Braingel said to himself, all satisfied. "I did good! Looks great! Now to write the address and I'll be completely done with this project!"

He gets a piece of paper, gets out a permanent black marker, and writes down the address of Santa's Workshop as well as the address to Braingel's own house as a return address. Young Braingel then placed an air mail sticker on the box as well as many stickers than said "Fragile" in order for whenever carried in the box, he wouldn't be dropped and get hurt.

"Alright," said Young Braingel. "Now what to take with me for my journey…Let's see…"

Young Braingel places many things in the box as he had a list containing the items on it. He decided to bring a flashlight, some snacks and some drinks, a pillow, a fleece blanket, a couple of comic books he owned, his handheld video game that was all charged up, a paper map of the world, a compass rose that belonged to his father, a small calculator, and a tiny thermometer.

"A flashlight since the box is gonna be dark inside," Young Braingel said, going over his list of things to bring. "Food and drinks of course, so I wouldn't go hungry or thirsty. A pillow and my blanket so I can be comfortable. My comic books and my little handheld game just in case I get bored. A map of the world, my dad's compass rose, and my little calculator so I can figure out the statistic facts of my traveling. And my trusty thermometer so it can tell me how cold the North Pole is when I get there."

He then says, "Now…What to wear…"

Young Braingel looks down and sees what he was wearing at the moment.

"Huh…" said Young Braingel. "I'm wearing my pants with the warm flannel on the inside, my wool sweater, and my thermal socks. And since my outfit is fuzzy and warm, that part is ready. Now to get my snow boots and extra warm coat. Oh, and my scarf, hat, earmuffs, and mittens since the North Pole is very, very cold. Freezing!"

After putting on his winter gear, as well as going to the bathroom, Young Braingel looks at the box, picks it up, and said, "Alright, now to get this on the front porch and I'll be ready to go!"

Young Braingel sneaks past his parents, walks outside, shuts the front door, crawls into the box, gets in a curled-up position, and closes the box with some extra tape with a tiny opening so he can breathe.

"Okay," Young Braingel said to himself, putting his scarf, hat, earmuffs, and mittens to his side. "I'm in the box now. I wonder how long I'll have to wait for the mailman to get here and bring this box to the post office."

He looks around and says, "It's really quiet in here…And a bit boring…Let's hope this will be a quick trip…"

Just then, he felt himself being moved inside the box. That was because the local mailman came and picked up the box with the little Braingel inside.

"Oh!" whispered Young Braingel, as he gasped. "I'm moving! I'm moving! The start of my journey had just begun! Wish me luck, Braingel!"

After the mailman placed the box in the back of the mail truck, he started to drive to the Center City Post Office.

"Oh my gosh…" said Young Braingel, trying to contain his excitement. "I'm in the mail truck!"

The mail truck, while driving, it went over a bump on the road.

"Whoa!" said Young Braingel, holding on tight. "That was a huge bump!"

The mail truck drove onto another bump right after the first one.

"And another one!" said Young Braingel, then getting all giggly as the road was bumpy. "Hey, this is kinda fun! Hehehe!"

Back in the present, Tryla asked Braingel, "How long did it take for the mail truck to get to the post office, Braingel?"

"Not very long," said Braingel. "The post office was very close to my parents' house. So it only took a few minutes."

"So what happened after you got to the post office?" asked Dubs.

"I believe I was in a room full of boxes that were also going to the North Pole," said Braingel. "But since I couldn't see anything since the box was dark, I was assuming I was in a room like that."

In the flashback, Young Braingel was still inside the wrapped up box addressed to Santa at his workshop in the North Pole.

"It's really dark in here…" said Young Braingel. "Better turn on my flashlight…"

Young Braingel turned on his small flashlight so he could see better.

"Am I at the post office yet?" Young Braingel asked himself, listening in for any sound. "Yep, I'm definitely at the post office. I wonder what's going on right now here. Well, I labeled this big box for overnight. So I have to go to the North Pole right away and not have to sit in the post office for the next few days…"

Just then, there was the sound of footsteps coming into the room.

"Uh oh…" Young Braingel whispered to himself, as he quickly turned off his flashlight. "I hear footsteps…! I better stay quiet so the people won't know I'm in this box…"

"My word, what a big box we've got here!" said a man, seeing the box the child was inside of. "And it says overnight. So this package will be shipped to the North Pole right away!"

The man lifted the box and carried it to another room where it went through the process of packages looking for any problems before being allowed to ship. And Young Braingel wasn't noticed, not even by one thing. So the young boy went undetected!

"Well, that was easy," said Young Braingel, feeling happy. "I didn't get caught! Ooooh yeah!"

The box was then placed onto another mail truck that was going to the nearest airport.

"I'm in the mail truck again?" Young Braingel said to himself, a bit surprised. "Is it the same one or a different one? Naah, probably a different one."

He paused for a minute. Then he said, "I must be going to the airport. I'm gonna be put on a plane! Probably in the cargo hold where all the luggage goes."

He then started to feel a bit of body pain since he was in a weird position lying against cardboard.

"Ooooooh, this box is so uncomfortable…!" said Young Braingel, massaging his own shoulders with his hands. "I better get my pillow and blanket. My body hurts…"

Young Braingel placed his pillow behind his head and tucked himself into his fleece blanket.

"There…" Young Braingel said, all snuggled in his super warm blanket. "That's a bit better…Gosh, this blanket is so warm…Very warm…"

He sunk his head into his pillow and said, "And this pillow…It's very soft…I love it…"

His words became quiet as he went to sleep.

Back in the present again, Dubs asked Braingel, "So what happened next? Did you get to the North Pole?"

"I did," said Braingel. "But it was a loooooooong way...I was on the airplane inside the cargo hold for several hours. It takes a long to get to the North Pole from where we live since it's on top of the Earth, you know?"

"Yeah, that makes sense," said Dubs.

"So what did you do while you were stuck on the plane until then, daddy?" asked Lilibeth.

"I did these things…" said Braingel.

In the flashback again, the young Braingel was in the cargo hold of a small airplane heading for the North Pole.

"Am I in the air yet?" said Young Braingel. "It's extremely quiet…And I don't hear anybody…"

Suddenly, because of the altitude pressure for being thousands and thousands of feet above sea level, the inside of the little Braingel's ears started to hurt.

"Owww…" said Young Braingel, feeling the pain as tears were in his eyes. "My ears really hurt…"

He then said, "Uh huh...I am definitely in the air now… Oooh, my ears hurt so badly!"

Just then, his stomach growled.

"I'm getting hungry…" said Young Braingel, rubbing his belly. "I might as well have a little something to eat."

He lifted up his paper bag of food and looks through it to see what he could find to consume.

"What food do I have here...?" Young Braingel asked himself, looking through the food he brought. "Potato chips, chocolate chip cookies, banana bread, raisins...Everything else I like…Hmmm…I'll have a slice of my mother's banana bread."

He takes out a slice of the banana bread from the paper bag and bites into the sweet treat.

"Mmmm..." said Young Braingel, enjoying his food while chewing it. "Soooooo yummy..."

After gulping down the sweet fruit bread, he grabs his water bottle and drinks a bit from it.

"Ahhh…" said Young Braingel, tasting the drink. "Nice, clean water…"

Deciding to save the rest for later, he puts the food and drink away back into the bag. And during the plane ride, he does a few things to entertain himself since he couldn't get out of the box until he was at where he needed to be. The little boy played a little bit of his handheld video game system, read some of his comic books, and was even singing quietly to himself at some point since he wanted to avoid getting bored. But for the most part, he was resting himself while trying to be comfortable in the box. After doing all those things, he started to yawn.

"I'm so tired…" said Young Braingel, rubbing his eyes. "I think I better take a nap. A long nap…Cause it's going to take a veeeeeeeery long time until the plane lands."

He yawns again.

"Yeah…" said Young Braingel. "I better get some rest…So I can be up and alert while I'm with Santa and everyone else there…Nighty night…"

He closed his eyes and in a minute or two, was fast asleep.

Several hours later, the plane landed onto a runway at the North Pole's airport. And while still inside the box, the little Braingel was sleeping with the pillow and blanket he brought with him. He's been in a deep sleep since half-way during the plane ride.

A few seconds later, he slowly wakes up after a very long nap.

"Mmmm…" said Young Braingel, slowly stretching himself as he does a small yawn. "Wow…It's been a long day…Wonder if the plane has landed yet…"

He soon realized how cold it was at the moment as he started to shiver.

"Gosh, it's freezing...!" Young Braingel said, as he was shivering a lot. "I'm probably at the North Pole by now. Or at least I hope so...I better get bundled up!"

Young Braingel puts on his scarf, hat, earmuffs, and mittens to keep himself warm.

"It's so cold…" said Young Braingel, blowing his breath into his cupped hands and rubbing them together. "I wonder where I am…I think I should take a little peak to give me a clue of my whereabouts…"

The young Braingel placed his hand into one of his coat pockets, pulls out a tiny pocket knife, and uses it to carve a little hole on one of the sides of the cardboard box. He then closes his left eye as he uses his right eye to see through the little hole.

"Wow...I'm at the North Pole!" said Young Braingel, all excited. "I made it! I'm actually going to see Santa! The REAL Santa Claus! Ooooh, I can't hardly wait for my dream to come true!"

He gets a closer look through the hole and sees that he was indeed at the North Pole. And even better, Santa's Workshop!

"Am I in Santa's Workshop?!" said Young Braingel, more excited than ever as he gasped in amazement. "Oh my gosh, I am! I really am in Santa's Workshop!"

The little boy sees lots and lots of toys surround the room he was in.

"Look at all those toys!" said Young Braingel, trying not to cry in happiness. "It's like a real life Toyland! Ooooh, the room is so pretty! Just like how I imagined!"

He paused and said, "Wonder if anybody notices this box...I better try to get their attention."

The young Braingel started to shout and hit the sides of the box, hoping someone will hear him and notice his presence.

"Hey!" said Young Braingel, crying for help. "Somebody lemme outta here! Hello?! Anybody?! Help me! I'm stuck in this box! I wanna get out! It's squishy in here!"

There was no answer.

"It's no use…" said Young Braingel. "Nobody can hear me…"

He then started to feel sad.

"I guess I traveled all the way for nothing," said Young Braingel, in a sad voice. "How can no one hear my voice? I want to escape this box, but I don't know how. What am I going to do…?!"

He got teary and eventually started to cry.

Back in the present once again, Lilibeth asked Braingel, "Did Santa find you, daddy…?"

"Eventually…" said Braingel. "I wasn't noticed right away...The place was so busy...It took a while for someone to notice the box I was inside of...I guess Santa and his elves are always busy during the Christmas season..."

In the flashback once again, one of Santa's elves noticed the little boy screaming for help.

"What's in that box?" said the elf.

"Should I say something out loud...?" Young Braingel asked himself. "Or should I stay quiet...?"

"Who's there?" asked the elf, walking over to the big box.

"It's me!" Young Braingel said out loud, banging on the box. "It's me, Braingel!"

"A kid?" said the elf, a bit confused. "What would a little child be doing in a cardboard box?"

"Can you get me out of this box?!" asked Young Braingel, moving around. "It's squishy in here! And I wanna see Santa!"

"Alright kid," the elf said. "I'll get you out of there. Hold on…"

The elf opens the box and sees the little Braingel inside it.

"As I thought, a child," said the elf, then saying to the small child, "What are you doing all the way out here, little boy?"

"I came to see Santa Claus..." said Young Braingel.

"We don't get many kids like you around here," said the elf. "Not many kids are brave enough to want to see Santa in person."

"Really…?" said Young Braingel, with his eyes wide open.

"Yep," said the elf. "Especially in the way you came here."

"Yeah, I guess you're right," said Young Braingel. "But I didn't have any money to use for traveling any other way…"

He then paused and said to the elf, "Is Santa here?"

"Of course he is," said the elf. "It's not Christmas Eve yet. Though he's getting ready for the big night!"

"Oh yay!" said Young Braingel, getting excited. "Can I see him?"

"Sure thing, kid," said the elf.

"Thanks so much," said Young Braingel.

Once he got out of the big cardboard box, the young boy was led by the elf to where Santa Clause was, who was in his office making a list and checking it twice.

"It's…It's him…!" gasped Young Braingel, trying to control his feelings.

"Hello there, little boy," said Santa, seeing the little child at his office door. "What is your name?"

"I thought Santa would know every kids' names...," said Young Braingel, in his head.

He looks up and said to himself, "Maybe this will help."

Young Braingel took off his winter hat revealing his brain deformity, which Santa quickly sees it was in fact him.

"Braingel?" said Santa.

The small boy sees that it was the real Santa. He got so excited and happy, as well as also getting somewhat emotional, with him getting a little bit teary. He then starts to cry with tears of joy.

"Santa!" said Young Braingel, with his hands out.

The little kid runs to Santa and gives him a big hug while sobbing with joy as Santa picks him up and hugs him in return.

"Oh Santa!" said Young Braingel, hugging the man. "I knew you were real!"

"Of course I'm real, Braingel," said Santa. "Did you think I wasn't?"

"No, I didn't think that," said Young Braingel. "You see, I kept seeing different Santa Clauses at malls and other stores in my town. And because of that, I wanted to see the real you. So I came here since I know the real Santa is in the North Pole, which is your home."

"You're right," said Santa. "The North Pole is my home. But how did you get here?"

"It's a long story…" said Young Braingel, with a nervous sweat.

"You can tell me later," said Santa, as he put the little boy back down. "Would you like a tour of my workshop?"

This got Braingel super excited.

"Oh yes, please!" said Braingel. "I would love to see your workshop!"

"Wonderful," said Santa, then putting out his hand to Young Braingel. "Come with me, little one."

Young Braingel held onto Santa's hand as he was given a tour of the workshop.

Going back to the present day, Braingel said his family and friend, "So Santa gave me a tour all around his workshop."

"What did he show you, honey?" asked Tryla.

"Oh he showed me all sorts of places," said Braingel. "First, where the elves worked…"

Going back in the flashback, Santa led Young Braingel into a part of the workshop where his many elves were. Each and every one of Santa's elves were working hard at their job of making many toys for all the good little boys and girls around the world.

"Oh my gosh!" said Young Braingel, seeing huge piles of toys in the room. "There are so many toys in here!"

"Yes," said Santa. "All of these toys were made by my trusty helpers, the elves. And they're still making much, much more."

"Wonder how many toys they are making," Young Braingel said, all curious.

"Millions," said Santa. "Millions and millions of toys. Maybe even billions. They are all for the many, many good boys and girls around the world."

"How do you keep track on how many kids are in the world that will get presents?" asked Young Braingel.

"Simple," said Santa, taking out his list of nice children and naughty children. "I have these two lists."

As the list touches the floor and rolls across many directions in the room, Santa said, "One list is for the nice children, while the other is for the naughty children."

"Woooooooooow…" said Young Braingel, with his eyes wide open. "That's a lot of kids!"

"Good kids get presents and candy," said Santa. "Bad kids get coal."

"So you always make a list and check it twice?" Young Braingel said.

"That's exactly right, Braingel," said Santa.

"Say, where am I on the list?" asked Young Braingel. "That's if you don't mind me asking."

"Oh, that's easy," said Braingel, seeing the boy's name on the nice list. "You're on the nice list."

"Awesome!" said Braingel, pointing to his name on the nice list. "There's my name! I'm a good boy!"

"Yes you are," said Santa, with a smile. "You are a very good boy."

Young Braingel smiled back.

"Now why don't I show you another part of my workshop?" suggested Santa. "They elves are very busy."

"Okay Santa," said Young Braingel. "Work needs to be done."

Then Santa led Young Braingel into the stables where all of the man's reindeer live in.

"Santa!" Young Braingel cried. "These are your reindeer! In the fur!"

Young Braingel the noticed one of them had a glowing red nose.

"That reindeer has a red nose!" Young Braingel said, all surprised. "And it's glowing!"

"Why yes, it is," said Santa. "His name is Rudolph."

"Rudolph?" said Young Braingel, then gasped and said, "As in the Christmas song, "Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer?!"

"That's right, Braingel," said Santa. "This is the one and only Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer!"

"Hi there, little boy!" said Rudolph.

Young Braingel was shocked to hear that Rudolph was talking to him.

"You can talk?!" said Young Braingel.

"Of course I can," said Rudolph. "I'm magic!"

"Whoooooooooooa…" said Young Braingel, amazed.

"Since you know my name," said Rudolph. "What's yours?"

"I'm Braingel," said Young Braingel.

"Nice to meet you, Braingel," said Rudolph.

"Nice to meet you, too, Rudolph," said Young Braingel.

Just then, the same elf who found Young Braingel in the cardboard box and brought him to Santa came into the reindeer stables.

"Hi everyone," said the elf, then saying to Young Braingel, "Oh hey there, kid. I see you and Santa are visiting the reindeer."

"Hello again," said Young Braingel. "Yeah, I'm with Santa and his reindeer."

"How's the tour so far, Braingel?" Santa asked Young Braingel.

"I love it so much, Santa!" said Young Braingel, happily. "It's wonderful!"

"Glad to hear," said Santa, with a smile.

"Say kid," said the elf. "I never asked for your name."

"Oh I'm sorry," said Young Braingel. "My name is Braingel. How about you?"

"I'm Holly," said the elf.

"Nice to meet you, ma'am," said Young Braingel, sticking his hand out.

"Same," said Holly, as she and the young boy shook hands, then saying to Rudolph, "Hey there, Rudy! What have you been up to lately?"

"Hello Holly!" said Rudolph. "I'm just trying to rest up as much as I can before Christmas Eve. When that day comes, I must guide Santa's sleigh so he can do his job!"

"Very good," said Holly. "You and the other reindeer must be up and ready and full of energy for the big night! It's gonna be a long one."

"Right," said Rudolph.

After talking to Rudolph a little bit longer, the group decided to let him and the reindeer rest in their stables since they had to be wide awake on Christmas Eve in order to help Santa deliver the presents for the good kids. So on with the tour!

"Why hello there!" said Santa's wife, Mrs. Claus. "Very nice to see you all."

"Mrs. Claus!" said Young Braingel, giving Mrs. Claus a hug.

"So nice to see you, Braingel!" said Mrs. Claus, hugging the boy in return. "I have some Christmas cookies and some hot chocolate in the kitchen. Would you like to join us?"

"I would love to," said Young Braingel, nodding his head. "I love cookies and I love hot chocolate."

"Wonderful!" said Mrs. Claus, with a smile. "Come in and have some with us."

So Young Braingel, Santa, and Holly the Elf went into the kitchen, got some decorated sugar cookies and each a mug of hot chocolate with marshmallows, and sat down in the living room on the couch and the matching chairs as they started to have their little treats. As well as having some nice conversations with each other.

In the present day, Dubs said to Braingel, "Sounds like you had a great time in the North Pole, Braingel."

"At Santa's Workshop!" said Lilibeth, then getting a little jealous and said, "Lucky ducky…"

"I think she's a bit jealous that you saw the real Santa, honey," said Tryla, with a small giggle.

"Awww sweetheart…" Braingel said to Lilibeth, rubbing her back. "I'm sure you'll get a chance to meet Santa Claus someday."

"Really?" said Lilibeth.

"Really," said Braingel. "Anyways, back to the story?"

"Yes daddy," said Lilibeth.

"Okay," said Braingel. "So…After a while, it was time for me to go back home…."

Returning to the flashback, Young Braingel was having a wonderful time in the North Pole at Santa's Workshop. But after a while of having fun, Young Braingel started to feel sad as he began to frown.

"What's wrong, little one?" asked Mrs. Claus. "You look sad."

"Braingel, I thought you were having a nice time here," asked Holly. "Are you actually not?"

"It's not that," said Young Braingel. "I'm actually have a great time here and I love it. But…"

He said in a sad voice, "I'm starting to miss my mom and dad…"

"Sounds like you're feeling homesick," said Mrs. Claus.

"I am…" said Young Braingel.

He then froze and said, "Wait a minute…! Do they even know I'm gone?!"

"That's a good question," said Holly. "I do wonder if your parents notice that you aren't home."

"I can show you your parents back at your house in Center City," Santa said to Braingel. "That way you can see and hear them. Would you like that?"

"Yes please, Santa," said Young Braingel.

"Very well then," said Santa.

Santa used his magic as a little vision of Young Braingel's mother and father was shown in front of the young boy. And as he saw, his parents noticed that their son was missing from the house and had no idea where he is.

"Braingel?" his mother called out to him, in a worried voice. "Braingel? Where are you? Where are you, sweetie?"

"Your mother and I are trying to find you, son," his father said, in a sad voice. "We don't know where you are."

"And we don't know if you're safe or not," said his mother. "Honey, we both just want you to be safe and sound with us again. It's almost Christmas and you're not here..."

Young Braingel's mother got tears in her eyes as she said, "Please come home, Braingel. We miss you and we love you very much…"

Hearing his parents call out to him and by the tone of their sad and worried voices made Young Braingel himself really sad and got very teary.

"Oh no…" said Young Braingel, with tears in his eyes. "What have I done…? My parents are so worried something happened to me…!"

He started to cry.

"I'm a missing child!" said Young Braingel, as he cried in sorrow.

Everyone started to feel bad for the little boy. Feeling guilty that he went to the North Pole by himself without his parents' permission, Young Braingel couldn't stop crying.

"Don't cry, Braingel dear…" said Mrs. Claus, wiping the child's eyes with a soft handkerchief. "It makes me sad to see a child cry…"

"I'm sorry, Mrs. Claus," said Young Braingel, as he sniffed. "But I feel so guilty…"

"Why?" asked Mrs. Claus.

"Because I didn't tell my parents that I was going to come here to see Santa and everyone who lives with him," said Young Braingel. "And now, they know I'm not home! I'm gone!"

He covered his face in shame and said, "I'm a bad kid…"

"You are not a bad kid, Braingel…" Holly said.

"Holly's right, Braingel," said Santa. "You're not a bad kid. Look, we know you're feeling sad and we can see how much you miss your mom and dad. Maybe the way you came here isn't really ideal, but that doesn't make you a bad kid. You just wanted to be proven that I am real. And you were very brave to do that. So I give you credit for that part."

"Thank you, Santa…" said Young Braingel. "But yeah, maybe being human mail wasn't such a great idea after all…"

"Think about it, Braingel," said Holly. "You came here in a closed cardboard box. And the good thing is that you didn't get hurt in any way. You made it here safely."

"That's true," said Young Braingel. "But my mom and dad are going to be so angry at me once they find out what happened to me."

"They shouldn't be," said Holly. "All they need to care about is that you are safe and that you'll be able to spend Christmas with them."

"Christmas?" said Young Braingel, then gasping and said, "Christmas! What day is it today?!"

"December 23rd," said Mrs. Claus.

"December 23rd?!" Young Braingel said, all freaked out. "Oh my gosh! Tomorrow is Christmas Eve!"

He quickly got off the couch and said as he ran for the door, "I gotta get home!"

"Hold it, Braingel!" said Holly.

"Why Holly?" asked Young Braingel, turning the doorknob. "I need to go back before it's too late!"

"It's not safe for a kid like you to go back home by yourself," said Holly.

"Especially in such cold weather," said Mrs. Claus. "The North Pole is very chilly, you know."

"You have a point," said Young Braingel, stepping away from the door. "But home am I going to get home…? Or better question…Am I going to be able to get home in time for Christmas?"

"Of course you will, Braingel," said Santa. "No one should be alone on Christmas. Hmm…"

He thought for a moment and came up with a solution.

"I have an idea," said Santa, then saying to Young Braingel, "Tell you what, Braingel…How about you stay here with us for the night? Then bright and early tomorrow morning, I'll let you ride in my sleigh with me while I deliver the presents to all the good girls and boys. Then once we reach the United States, I'll bring you home to Center City. How does that sound?"

Young Braingel couldn't believe what he heard. He never thought that he would be offered to join Santa on Christmas Eve while the big man in red gives out the presents and candy to the nice children of the world. This made the child get tears again, but this time, they were tears of joy. Also, he was so speechless that he couldn't express himself enough on how happy he was. He ran over to Santa and gave him a big hug.

"I think he's accepting the offer," said Mrs. Claus, with a happy laugh. "He looks very excited!"

"I am excited!" said Young Braingel. "I'm going to fly in Santa's sleigh with the one and only Santa Claus! I can't wait!"

The next morning, Young Braingel wakes up in a nice, warm bed that Santa and Mrs. Claus let him sleep in for the night.

"Oh right, I forgot I'm still in Santa's Workshop at the North Pole," he said to himself. "But that's okay, cause I'm going to join Santa in his sleigh. Today's the big day!"

He quickly gets dressed, packed his things that went with him while he was in the cardboard box the previous day, and ran over to where Santa was, who was in the kitchen with Mrs. Claus.

"I'm ready to go, Santa!" said Young Braingel.

"Good morning, Braingel," Santa said to him. "I'm almost ready to go. Care to join us for breakfast?"

"Sure thing," said Young Braingel, putting his stuff down and sat at the table. "Breakfast is the most important meal of the day. And we all must be full of energy today. Ooooh boy!"

Once he had his breakfast, Braingel went to the bathroom, then grabbed his things as he ran to the reindeer stables, where the elves were helping all the reindeer get fastened and secure so they can stay tied to the sleigh in their assigned order.

"Morning Braingel!" said Rudolph. "Ready for the big day?!"

"I sure am, Rudolph!" said Young Braingel. "I'm ready to go!"

He then paused and said, "But where can I put my things?"

"You can have your belongings right at your feet in the sleigh," said one of the elves.

"Oh okay," said Young Braingel, doing so. "Thanks."

Once Santa came, he and his elves checked to see if everything was in working order. The reindeer were lined up and tied safely in front of the sleigh with Rudolph in the front to lead the way, all of the presents were in a big bag on the back of the sleigh, and the naughty and nice lists were double checked to make sure all of the information on them were correct. Then Santa sat down in his sleigh as Braingel did the same thing right next to him.

"Got your things, Braingel?" asked Santa.

"Yep," said Young Braingel. "And I'm wearing my pants with the warm flannel on the inside, my wool sweater, my thermal socks, my snow boots, my extra warm coat, my scarf, my hat, my earmuffs, and my mittens. So I'm all bundled up!"

"Good boy, Braingel," said Santa, patting his head.

"Careful Santa," said Young Braingel, putting his hands on his head. "My brain in under here protected by glass."

"Oh yes, sorry about that," said Santa. "Alright, you ready to go?"

"I'm ready to go!" replied Young Braingel.

"Great!" said Santa, then saying to his reindeer, "Now Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer, and Vixen! On Comet, on Cupid, on Donner, and Blitzen!"

"And Rudolph!" Young Braingel added.

"That's the spirit!" said Santa, with a chuckle. "Now hold on tight, cause here we go!"

The reindeer went off the ground and into the air as the sleigh was being lifted into the sky.

"Weeeeeeeeeeheheheheeeeeee!" said Young Braingel, as he giggled.

So Santa and Young Braingel flew around the world all while delivering presents and filling the stockings with candy to every single good girl and boy that celebrated Christmas, as well as collecting the notes written by the children they did for Santa. The two even had some of the cookies and milk that was left out for Santa, with some of the cookies being saved for later.

During the trip, at some points and since he and Santa visited each country when it was nighttime there, Young Braingel fell asleep since he was used to the darkness in the sky making him sleepy. Then several hours later, they reached the US. And after a few minutes, they arrived in Center City as Santa landed his sleigh on the roof of Braingel's house. But since Young Braingel was still asleep, Santa had to wake him up.

"Braingel?" Santa said, gently shaking the sleeping boy. "Wake up, Braingel."

Young Braingel woke up and rubbed his eyes.

"Huh..?" said Young Braingel. "What's going on…?"

He noticed that the sleigh wasn't moving.

"Why did we stop?" he asked.

"We're in America now, Braingel," said Santa. "And you're finally home."

"I'm home…?" said Young Braingel, starting to get happy. "Really…?"

The young boy looks down and saw that it was indeed his house that he lived in with his mother and father.

"You're right!" said Young Braingel, happily. "I am home! Hooray!"

Young Braingel gave Santa a big hug.

"Thank you, Santa…" said Young Braingel, in happy tears. "Thank you for bringing me back home. And thanks for letting me ride in your sleigh with you. It was a blast!"

"I'm glad you had fun, Braingel," said Santa, with a smile.

He then said, "Well Braingel, looks like it's time for me to go now."

"You're leaving?" said Young Braingel. "Why?"

"I have to deliver the rest of these presents to the rest of the world before the sun rises," said Santa.

He then said, "Alright Braingel. Remember to listen to your parents, respect your elders, and be nice to others. Keep being a good boy all year round."

"Yes Santa," said Young Braingel. "I will."

"That'a boy," said Santa, rubbing his back. "Goodbye Braingel. Maybe I'll see you next year. Have a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year."

"You too, Santa," said Young Braingel.

Santa placed his pointer finger on the side of his nose as Young Braingel was magically teleported into his bedroom.

"Wow…" Young Braingel said to himself. "What a wonderful time I had! I met the real Santa! It was so worth being in that box! I did it! I really did it! And I'm home safe!"

Just then, his bedroom door opened as he gasped in fear. It was his mother and father.

"Why is it so noisy in this room?" Young Braingel's father asked.

His parents saw that Braingel had returned.

"Braingel…?" said his mother, getting happy tears in her eyes.

"Son…?" said his father, getting emotional.

"Mom! Dad!" said Young Braingel, running to his parents and hugging the both of them.

"Braingel!" said his mother, hugging him tightly and close. "Oh Braingel, my baby! You're home! You came back!"

"Where in the world have you been, son?" asked his father. "Your mother and I were very worried about you!"

"Yeah!" said his mother. "You've been gone since yesterday afternoon!"

"And now it's the middle of the night the next day!" said his father. "It's almost morning!"

Braingel stood still and started twitching his fingers around.

"I…I…" said Young Braingel, not making eye contact with his parents.

"Put your head up," said his father. "Look at us."

Young Braingel looked up at his parents and put his hands on each sides of himself.

"Now…" his father said, in a bit of a serious voice. "Tell me, Braingel. Why weren't you home? Where did you run off to?"

"I didn't run away, mom and dad," said Young Braingel.

"If you didn't run away, then what were you doing in the outside world?" his mother asked. "You know it's a dangerous place out there, Braingel. Especially for a little boy like you."

"I know, mom," said Young Braingel. "But if I tell you where I was, you and dad wouldn't believe me."

"Just tell us, Braingel," said his mother. "Don't hide anything."

"And do not lie," said his father. "Telling the truth is a must!"

"Yes dad," said Young Braingel.

He took a deep breath and said, "Mom…? Dad…? I went to the North Pole…"

"The North Pole?!" said his parents, in shock.

"What were you doing in the North Pole?!" his father asked.

"It's very freezing there!" said his mother.

"I went to see Santa Claus," said Young Braingel. "I wanted to prove that he was real after seeing too many "Santas" in the malls around here."

"Really?" said his father.

"Really," said Young Braingel.

"How did you get there?" his mother asked.

Young Braingel got nervous as he started sweating.

"Well?" said his father.

Young Braingel did a deep gulp.

"I mailed myself in a box…!" said Young Braingel, squinting his face in fear.

"You did what…?!" said his mother, as she couldn't believe what she just heard.

"I mailed myself in a box!" repeated Young Braingel. "I didn't have any money or any other way to get there! Look, I know it's not that safe and I could've gotten hurt, but I had to see the real Santa! I just had to!"

He then frowned and said as he looked down in shame, "I'm sorry, mom and dad…Really I am…"

Young Braingel's parents just looked at him. They saw how guilty he felt. And they didn't want to see or hear their son be sad.

"Braingel…" said his father, kneeing down to Young Braingel. "We're not mad at you…"

"You're…" said Young Braingel, a bit surprised. "You're not…?"

"No son," said his father. "We're not. Look…Maybe what you did travel-wise wasn't ideal and a bit risky, but all that matters is that being in the North Pole made you happy."

"And we are glad that you made it there safely and you have returned home safely," said his mother.

"You really mean that…?" said Braingel, looking at them.

"Yes Braingel," said his father. "We want to make sure that you have good days despite all the bad days you had so far. We love seeing you when you're happy. Seeing you in a good mood makes me and your mom smile big."

His father hugged his son as he said, "We just want you to be happy…"

"Wow dad…" said Young Braingel, feeling better. "Thank you…"

"We love you, Braingel," said his mother, hugging her son as well. "We love you so much."

"I love you, too…" said Young Braingel, hugging his parents in return. "Merry Christmas, mom and dad."

"Merry Christmas, Braingel," said his parents.

The family of three continued to hug each other as the sun went up on Christmas Day.

Returning in the present, Tryla, Dubs, and Lilibeth clapped after Braingel finished his story.

"Awesome story, dude!" said Dubs. "You really entertained us!"

"Yeah!" said Lilibeth. "You met the real Santa and even got to deliver presents with him!"

"Thank you for telling your story, honey," said Tryla. "You did a great job with that."

"You're very welcome, baby," said Braingel. "Glad you enjoyed it."

"Mommy…? Daddy…?" said Lilibeth, starting to yawn. "What time is it?"

"Let me check," said Tryla.

She saw the clock on the wall that read 10:00 p.m.

"Oh my gosh!" said Tryla. "It's 10:00 at night! We better get to bed!"

"Right now…?" said Lilibeth, rubbing her eyes.

"Yes Lilibeth," said Braingel. "Now get ready for bed and get to sleep. Santa Claus is coming to town!

"Okay!" said Lilibeth, running into her bedroom and closing the door.

After the cookies and milk and a note for Santa were on the kitchen table, everyone got into their pajamas and brushed their teeth. Then they all went into their separate bedrooms and crawled into their beds since they knew that Santa only comes with people are asleep. Then once they said goodnight to each other, the entire household was fast asleep. Though Braingel work up a minute after Tryla fell asleep. He got out of his and Tryla's bed, went to the window, and looked up at the starry night sky as it started snowing.

"Merry Christmas, Santa…" Braingel said, as he looked up. "I will always be good boy…All year round…"

"Ho ho ho!" Santa said, in the distance. "Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!"

Braingel smiled big.

Braingel was so happy that he got to meet Santa for the first time when he was a little boy. And later, getting to tell his girlfriend, daughter, and best friend about it. He also remembered and kept his promises. To listen to his parents, respect his elders, and be nice to others. And now being a grown man with a girlfriend as well as a child of his own, he will love and take care of them both. He will keep being a good boy all year round.

THE END


End file.
